General
Congress pumps brakes on Interior push to relocate Bureau of Land Management
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill
William Pendley, the top official at BLM, told staff in an email obtained by The Hill that they can expect more details soon.
DOJ sidelines popular enforcement tool
Ellen M. Gilmer, E&E News
The Trump administration is narrowing a long-standing federal practice of letting polluters do penance for their environmental violations, often in exchange for lower fines.
A new tone from some Republicans on climate change — mostly behind closed doors
Anthony Adragna and Luiza Ch. Savage, Politico
Though a significant bloc of the party continues to deny the basic science of the issue, some senior Republicans are showing a willingness to consider incremental legislation to turbo-charge clean energy research funding, invest in greening buildings, support electric vehicle charging infrastructure and promote energy efficiency.
Land and minerals chief resigns with questions in his wake
Heather Richards, E&E News
Balash, in the Senate-confirmed position of assistant secretary of land and minerals management, said in a text last night that the decision was “bittersweet” and personal, but that he is leaving his leadership role in the Trump administration “on good terms.”
New York sues EPA over GE’s Hudson River PCB cleanup
Jonathan Stempel, Reuters
New York sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, accusing the agency of prematurely allowing General Electric Co to stop clearing the Hudson River of PCB contamination before the cleanup was finished.
Oil donors shy on Trump’s 2020 campaign, for now
James Osborne, Houston Chronicle
For decades,the U.S. oil and gas industry has provided a reliable bankroll for Republican politicians seeking the oval office. But not for President Donald Trump, who despite his pro-oil and gas “American energy dominance” policy has to date struggled to attract the big campaign contributions that oil executives handed his Republican predecessors.
Is California too rich to get help from FEMA? New guidelines worry emergency planners
Emily Cadei, McClatchy DC
If California experiences another deadly disaster like the 2018 Camp Fire, survivors may have a far more difficult time obtaining federal assistance. That’s the warning California’s Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci issued at a congressional field hearing Tuesday.
Oil Steadies as Traders Await Signs on U.S. Monetary Policy
Saket Sundria and Grant Smith, Bloomberg
Oil steadied after its first drop this week as attention turned from expanding American fuel stockpiles to the prospects for monetary easing as the world’s top central bankers gather in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Oil and Natural Gas
Shell enters Australia power market with $418m deal
Anjli Raval, Financial Times
Anglo-Dutch company has ambitions to tilt its business towards gas.
U.S. farmers, lawmakers dial up pressure on Trump over biofuel policy
Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters
National and state trade groups along with their political allies delivered letters to the White House over the past 48 hours detailing the damage the waivers have caused the biofuel industry.
OPEC’s market share sinks – and no sign of wavering on supply cuts
Alex Lawler, Reuters
OPEC’s share of the global oil market has sunk to 30%, the lowest in years, as a result of supply restraint and involuntary losses in Iran and Venezuela, and there is little sign yet producers are wavering on their output-cut strategy.
US to sell 10 million barrels of sour crude from strategic petroleum reserve
Brian Scheid, S&P Global Platts
The 10 million barrels of sour crude will be sold from the SPR’s Bryan Mound, West Hackberry, and Big Hill sites. DOE said the delivery period for the sale goes from October 1 through November 30 and that early deliveries will not be available for this sale.
Spill revelation raises questions about North Dakota system
James MacPherson, The Associated Press
The North Dakota Health Department’s acknowledgment this week that a 2015 pipeline leak of liquid natural gas is hundreds of thousands of gallons larger than reported raises questions about how many other spills and leaks are underreported — and state officials were not immediately able to answer Wednesday.
Shell seeks competitive ways to decarbonize shipping
Lucie Roux, S&P Global Platts
Shell has also signed long-term charters for four new LNG dual-fuel oil products tankers from institutional investors, with delivery of the vessels expected from 2021.
Utilities and Infrastructure
PJM, Stakeholders Strike Deal on Supplemental Projects
Christen Smith, RTO Insider
The deal came less than 48 hours before the Markets and Reliability Committee’s scheduled vote on the issue and could signal an end to eight months of debate over revising Manual 14B to stipulate when and how supplemental projects move in and out of the RTEP.
Renewables
Hydrogen’s Plunging Price Boosts Role as Climate Solution
Will Mathis and James Thornhill, Bloomberg
The cost of producing hydrogen gas with renewables is likely to plummet in the coming decades, making one of the most radical technologies for reducing greenhouse gases economical.
Can solar increase emissions? A debate erupts
Kristi E. Swartz, E&E News
A recent newspaper article and claims from conservative groups are stirring up a debate about whether greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution can rise because of large amounts of solar on the grid.
Walmart’s Fire Suit May ‘Spook’ Solar Customers Tesla Wants
Brian Eckhouse and Chris Dolmetsch, Bloomberg
The suit marks another high-profile headache for Tesla’s solar unit, which has lost much of its market share as it repeatedly rejiggers its strategy.
Coal
Vistra names Illinois coal plants to be shut for emissions rule compliance
Michael Lustig and Sania Khan, S&P Global Platts
Vistra Energy Corp. on Aug. 21 identified four of coal-fired power plants in Illinois with a combined capacity of 2,000 MW that it will close by the end of this year to meet recently approved amendments to the state’s Multi-Pollutant Standard, or MPS, rule.
Nuclear
Lawmakers Urge NRC to Slow Decision on Pilgrim Nuclear Plant
Adrianna Appel, Bloomberg Environment
Entergy Corp.’s request to sell a defunct Massachusetts nuclear power plant to Holtec International Corp. needs to be fully vetted before any approvals are granted, Massachusetts lawmakers and officials told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Climate
Piled Up in Huge Lots, Volkswagen’s Reworked Diesels Trickle to Buyers
Roy Furchgott, The New York Times
Nearly three years after Volkswagen started its buyback program, the automaker said it had approximately 100,000 of these diesels left to sell, after which it will abandon diesel cars in the American market. Demand is surprisingly high, dealers say.
Luntz: ‘I was wrong’ on climate change
Anthony Adragna, Politico
Luntz, who said he’s doing work for both Democrats and Republicans, urged Democrats to “personalize, individualize and humanize” the impacts of climate change to make it more relatable to the average person.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
The Way We’re Talking About Climate Change Is All Wrong. Here’s How We Win Hearts and Minds
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Michael Shank, Newsweek
Even as we see the impact of climate change in devastating, intensified weather and the spread of disease, we have not changed the hearts and minds of enough Americans—or, at least, those with the power to change the climate landscape.
An alleged SoCal Gas front group withdraws from a PUC proceeding — but questions remain
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times
According to a document filed with the PUC, C4BES on Tuesday withdrew its motion for party status in the gas proceeding. The two-paragraph document, filed over the signature of C4BES executive director Jon Switalski, says the organization is bailing in order to avoid “devoting precious resources on defending against attacks that have nothing to do with the proceeding.”
Sizing Up the Corporate Renewables Market
Karl-Erik Stromsta, Greentech Media
Among the 1,000 largest American companies by revenue, the penetration of renewables stands at just 5 percent in their power mix, the report finds. That leaves as much as 85 gigawatts of potential renewable energy demand within the Fortune 1000 through 2030. And that’s just for U.S. companies.
Research Reports
Shale gas reserve evaluation by laboratory pyrolysis and gas holding capacity consistent with field data
Patrick Whitelaw et al., Nature Communications
Exploration for shale gas occurs in onshore basins, with two approaches used to predict the maximum gas in place (GIP) in the absence of production data. The first estimates adsorbed plus free gas held within pore space, and the second measures gas yields from laboratory pyrolysis experiments on core samples.
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